A Flash of Gold
by Medea Lee
Summary: When sorceress suddenly attacks Camelot,Merlin once again puts his life on the line to save Arthur. But this time, he will have to cope with the consequences. Sorry, rubbish at summaries!
1. Chapter 1

A Flash of Gold

Time stood still as his eyes flashed gold.

Morgana stood with a slightly crazed look on her face as she held a dagger in front of her, ready to join the chaos. Several knights lay unconscious on the floor, several more were frozen in various battle positions as they fended off the viscous looking creatures and Uther Pendragon's face was caught in an expression of horror as he surveyed the sorceress standing in the centre of the banquet hall. However Merlin did not see any of this. Instead his attention was solely focused on the arrow that was now frozen in mid air – aiming straight for Arthur.

Without thinking Merlin leapt to Arthur's side, pushing him out of the way just as time resumed. White hot pain shot through Merlin's body as the arrow embedded itself in his right shoulder, and a cry of agony escaped his lips. At almost the same time the sorceress let out her own cry of frustration.

'That arrow was meant only for Prince Arthur' she screamed, her voiced filled with so much fury that many in the hall visibly flinched at the sound. 'This is not the end' she continued, before dramatically vanishing in a howl of wind – the creatures she had conjured disappearing with her.

Arthur watched her disappear from his position on the floor where he had landed, with a confused expression on his face as he tried to understand what had just happened. He was about to push himself up and attempt to control the chaos that still reigned in the hall when he heard his name, and the sound made his heart turn cold, as he finally understood what had happened.

'Arthur' Merlin whispered. His voice came out strained and his face was contorted into an expression of agony.

'Merlin!' Arthur cried, turning around to see his manservant on the floor with the arrow he now realised had been mean for him, stuck deep in his shoulder. Immediately he shouted for Gaius, before ripping his shirt and carefully arranging the fabric around the arrow, in an attempt to stop the warm blood from seeping from Merlin's body. 'What did you do, you idiot? I could have handled it!' Arthur murmured. His voice was soft and gentle, and his eyes were filled with concern.

' Someone's got to look after you' Merlin managed to say, but his breathing was ragged and every word seemed to be an effort. Arthur looked like was going to reply, but at that moment Gaius suddenly appeared behind him. He took one look at Merlin, concern etched into his features and immediately started shouting orders. Merlin was lifted on to a stretcher, crying in pain every time he was moved and carried from the room. For a moment Arthur looked like he was going to follow, before thinking better of it and instead turning back towards his father.

While Arthur had been taking care of Merlin, the King had managed to assess the damage. By now most of the knights had disappeared from the room, and only Morgana remained by Uther's side. Luckily Merlin had been the only major injury.

'I want that sorceress executed!' The king demanded, his eyes filled with an uncontrollable fury. 'How dare she enter my Kingdom, she will pay. Arthur I want the knights to ride out in the morning and...'

Arthur knew he should be listening to his father. He knew it was important. He knew that the safety of Camelot always comes first. But, irrationally, the only thing he could think of was Merlin.


	2. Chapter 2

Arthur paused outside the door, his hand resting on it as if to push it open, but he stayed still. It had been two days since the attack and this was the first time Arthur had been able to visit Merlin. Uther had kept him busy with plans of defence and attack – and it had taken all Arthurs logic and reasoning to convince his father that there was no point going on some wild goose chase after the sorceress. Constantly Arthur's thoughts had been on Merlin, and the image of him in pain kept appearing in his mind. Why did he care so much? He was only a servant, and it's not like they always got on. But it worried Arthur that Merlin had been so willing to sacrifice himself, and his show of complete loyalty scared him. He felt an overwhelming guilt at the pain Merlin was in, but more than anything one question plagued his mind. Would he have done the same for Merlin?

It was these thoughts that made Arthur pause outside the door to Gaius's chambers. Shaking his head slightly, as if to dispel all worrying thoughts, Arthur shifted his weight and pushed the door open. Merlin was lying on Gaius's bed, his breathing was shallow and he lay very still. Next to him sat Gwen, a small sad smile on her face as she held a cloth to his forehead. Her hair was a mess and her clothes unwashed, and it was obvious to Arthur that she had not left her friend's side in the last two days. She looked up when the door opened, acknowledged Arthur with a light nod of her head, then continued to rinse out the cloth and reapply it to Merlin's forehead. Gaius was standing behind Gwen with his back turned away from the door, grinding various herbs.

'How is he Gaius?' Arthur asked the physician. His eyes did not leave Merlin and his brow was furrowed in concern. As he spoke Gaius jumped slightly before turning around – he obviously had not heard the prince enter. 'I think he shall be fine with close attention and more rest sire' Gaius replied, although he too was watching Merlin. 'Actually I was just making him something for the pain when he wakes up' Gaius looked down into the bowl he was still holding and frowned. 'Gwen, could you please fetch me some more water?'

Immediately Gwen stood up from her position, 'Of course'. She made to leave but Gaius stopped her. 'Gwen after you've returned you should rest. I think I can handle it now' Gaius smiled down at the maid who had been helping him. Gwen looked like she was going to object, but instead returned the smile, nodded her head and turned to leave.

Arthur watched the whole exchange. He felt guilty for not having visited before. As soon as Gwen left the room Arthur turned to Gaius: 'So he's going to be ok?' he asked, the concern he was trying so hard to hide creeping into his voice.

'Yes, he should be' Gaius replied, but he was frowning slightly as if disbelieving his own words. Arthur chose to ignore this, Gaius would tell him is something was wrong. Instead, Arthur sat down in Gwen's vacated chair. 'I think I will stay a while' he said, but Gaius had already returned to his mixing.

Arthur had been correct. Gaius was indeed worried. It had been two days since the attack and Merlin should have woken up. The wound itself had not been fatal, and Gaius's quick actions had prevented infection. But something was wrong about the whole attack. For one thing why would a powerful sorceress stop her attack just because one arrow hit the wrong person? It didn't make any sense, she could easily have still taken out the prince – especially with Merlin injured, but instead she had halted the attack. And why hadn't Merlin woken up? Gaius had even checked for poison (several times), but he found nothing. Earlier Merlin had looked like he was struggling with an internal battle, his flickering back and forth underneath his eyelids – and Gaius was at a loss to explain it. The only thing he could conclude was that sorcery was involved.

Far away, the sorceress, Orguelleuse, watched the scene in Gaius's chambers in a pool of water. An evil smile worked its way onto her face. She had thought her plan was ruined when her arrow hit Merlin, all her planning for nothing. However, as she watched the concern on Arthur's face as he watched over Merlin, her sense of hope had returned.

The beginnings of a new plan were quickly forming in her head.


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own Merlin!**

**Thank you to everyone that reviewed or put this on story alert – and I'm sorry I took so long to update!**

It was another day before Merlin finally woke up. Gaius was in the process of mixing the Kings tonic; since there was nothing more he could think to do for Merlin. A small groan from behind him made him instantly place the half-mixed tonic on the desk to rush to his wards side.

'Merlin?' Gaius placed his hand on Merlin's forehead, gently pushing back his hair. Merlin shifted position slightly, but gave a moan of pain as the movement caused pain to flare in his shoulder. Merlin stayed still for another second, waiting for the pain to subside a little, before attempting to open his eyes. Immediately the light blinded him, and he quickly closed his eyes again. 'Come on Merlin' Gaius whispered, forcing Merlin to stay conscious and aware. After another few seconds Merlin attempted to open his eyes again – and this time he succeeded.

'Gaius?' His voice came out weak and croaky, and Gaius immediately reached for some water, gently helping Merlin sit (Careful to avoid touching his sore shoulder) and then helping Merlin drink some of the water. After Merlin had managed a few sips he raised his hand and weakly pushed the water away. Gaius sighed and helped Merlin lie back down.

'It's good to see you finally awake my boy' Gaius said as he moved to the table, 'I will prepare some food for you – you must be hungry'. Merlin watched Gaius with a look of confusion. 'But...the sorceress...she was aiming for...Arthur!' Merlin's eyes suddenly went wide with panic as the full scene from the feast came flooding back to him. 'Arthur is he ok? I have to see him!' Merlin was so panicked as he tried to push himself up that he did not notice Arthur himself enter the doorway just in time to witness his panic attack.

'Merlin!' Arthur rushed to his side gently pushing Merlin back down. Merlin struggled against him for a few seconds muttering about helping Arthur before he seemed to realise that it was actually Arthur he was fighting against. As soon as this realisation hit him he immediately stopped struggling, and Arthur had to catch him before he dropped himself back down onto his sore shoulder.

'Merlin we will need to talk about this need to sacrifice yourself for me idea that you seem to have got in your head' Arthur said sternly, but his voice was filled with affection. Gaius frowned slightly, yes, he thought, I'll have to talk to Merlin about that too. Merlin smiled his bright smile that only he could pull off, 'I'm glad you're ok Arthur'. Arthur suddenly looked uncomfortable, 'I need to thank you, Merlin. You saved my life, even if you were stupid enough to put your own life in danger'

Merlin grinned again, 'Was that a compliment?' Arthur's demeanour once again changed. 'Just because you saved my life does NOT get you off the hook for putting your own life in danger. Now I _know_ you can an idiot sometimes but I had NO idea...'

As Arthur entered full rant mode Gaius slunk out the room. It looked like the two friends needed some time together – and Merlin was no longer in any critical condition.

An hour or so later Orguelleuse peered into her pool of water to see Merlin sitting up exchanging playful banter with the Prince. Now is as good a time as ever, she thought as an evil smile played across her face. As she trailed her hand over the surface of the water she murmured a few words in the old religion.

Back in Gaius's room Merlin was mid-rant about the state that Arthur's room would be in when he suddenly broke off, Howling in pain. Merlin clasped his hands to his head – suddenly unaware of the pain in his shoulder due the immense agony that was feeling his entire being. The pain flooded his body, making it difficult for Merlin to breathe, and his eyesight blurred as the pain overtook all his senses.

Arthur jumped up as his friend suddenly screamed in agony, but he was unsure what to do – he felt immense panic flood to the surface of his emotions as his writhed in agony in front of him. Sprinting to the door he yelled for Gaius and a startled guard ran to find him. Arthur returned to Merlin's side just as his body gave into the torment, and Arthur only just caught his manservant in time, as Merlin suddenly went completely limp.

Orguelleuse frowned as she watched the effects of her spell. It wasn't supposed to happen like that. She would just have to try harder...


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for all reviews, especially ****HakuHunterNatural whose review prompted me to finish this chapter. Sorry for late update, I plan to update more often after this!**

Gaius paced up and down in his rooms. Merlin was still out of it, and Gaius was worried. Very worried. There was no logical or medical reason for the pain which Arthur claimed his ward had suffered before passing out – and more than ever Gaius was convinced that this was all somehow linked to that sorceress. Soon after Merlin had collapsed into Arthur's arms Gaius had rushed in, having been alerted by the guard. The first thing he had noticed was that Merlin had stopped breathing. After Gaius had managed to get Merlin to start breathing again he had then endured the most horrendous hours of his life, during which Merlin once again stopped breathing more than once. Arthur had stubbornly insisted on staying for the first few hours, before Gaius could no longer stand the terrified expression on the Prince's face, and he had forced him to leave the room. But now Gaius was at a loss. Although he was sure that the sorceress was involved, he didn't know how. He didn't know if Merlin was going to survive, he didn't know what to tell Arthur, and he didn't know if Merlin's magic could help him. It was all so frustrating!

Arthur paced up and down in his room. He was desperate for an update from Gaius; he just wanted to know if Merlin was going to be ok. More than once he got half way to the door before he reminded himself that Gaius would work better without him stressing him more – and Arthur certainly wanted Gaius to be working at his best. As the door opened Arthur turned, desperately hoping to receive news of how Merlin was doing. He was immediately faced with a tearful Guinevere.

'Sire, Gaius sent me. It's Merlin...he's awake'

Arthur's first reaction was relief, but as he watched Gwen a sense of foreboding crept into his soul. 'What is it Gwen, what's wrong?'

Gwen blinked away tears, and wiped her face. 'It's...nothing Sire. Only...Gaius doesn't know what's wrong...and...he's awake...but...he...' Gwen burst into tears and automatically Arthur put his arms around her. 'Tell me' he ordered. Although his voice was gentle the panic in his tone was obvious. Sniffing once more Gwen continued: 'Merlin's delirious...he doesn't even recognise us...no one knows what...to do...he keeps shouting at something...I..I mean nobody knows...and I don't want to lose him'

Arthur pulled away from Gwen. 'I have to go see him.' And with that he rushed out of his chambers, no longer bothering to hide his concern.

Gaius was attempting to hold Merlin down when Arthur arrived. It was obvious that Gaius was upset and confused, but Arthur's attention was solely on Merlin. He was pushing against Gaius to get up, he was covered in sweat and his eyes were filled with fear as he shouted at Gaius. 'Let me go...You're doing this to me...why would you...get off me!...you're trying to kill me, you're all trying to kill me...'

Arthur couldn't think. This was his servant. His friend. His Merlin. He rushed over, pushed Gaius away and grabbed both of Merlin's wrists. 'Merlin, nobody's trying to kill you, we're trying to help you. You need to relax. Please...just relax' His voice was strained, but at this point the only thing that mattered was Merlin. Merlin tried to move his attention to Arthur, but it took him much longer than it should have to focus on him. As soon as they made eye contact Merlin stopped struggling and dropped back onto the bed, his attitude switching from panic to total fright and vulnerability. 'I don't want to die...please...help me...I'm scared' Tears were pouring down his face.

Arthur's heart clenched, it was agony to see Merlin like this. Merlin, who was always so happy and cheerful. Without letting go of one of Merlin's wrists he moved to sit next to him. Ignoring Gaius and Gwen (who had followed him into the room) he proceeded to soothe Merlin in a calm voice, trying to reassure him. After another 20mins of soothing Merlin fell into a disturbed sleep and Arthur finally released his wrist.

Arthur turned to Gaius. His hands were shaking slightly and his eyes wide and worried. 'Gaius...' His voice broke slightly. 'What's happening to him?'


	5. Chapter 5

** Thanks again to everyone who reviewed! **

The scene was heartbreaking to watch. Gaius watched as his ward was calmed by the prince, and it nearly broke his heart that Merlin was so terrified. It hurt even more that he had no idea what to do about it. And when Arthur turned around and asked him what was wrong with Merlin it hurt so much he could barely breathe. He had watched the prince grow into a young man, but at this moment he could only see a young boy worried sick for his friend. The strength that was ever present in the prince had finally wilted and Gaius couldn't face it. So Gaius did the only thing he could, he turned away. No longer could he watch his ward suffer, no longer could he watch the pain it was causing everyone without addressing his own pain. So Gaius turned away from Merlin and Arthur and hid his tears.

As Gwen watched Gaius turn away she felt her heart sink. She let a pain-filled sob and sank to the floor, bringing a hand to her face. This was Merlin, her best friend. He was always there when she needed him, and sometimes when she didn't need him – when he would make her late for Morgana by making her laugh. Gwen couldn't face the idea of a world without Merlin, and she couldn't stand seeing her best friend in this much pain.

Arthur watched as Guinevere sank to the floor in despair. This shouldn't happen, he thought. Not to Merlin. Never to Merlin. How can something so bad happen to someone so good? Arthur felt lost...so lost. If only this had never happened. If only Merlin had never jumped in front of that stupid,stupid arrow – wait! The arrow! Arthur's mind was suddenly alert as he worked through the thoughts in his mind. The sorceress had been aiming for him, and what was it she had said? Something about the arrow being meant only for the prince...Arthur had known this all along but now a new idea was surfacing...surely she would have had more than one arrow? So it wouldn't have mattered if Merlin had been killed along the way, she could have just killed the prince with a different arrow...unless...unless the arrow had something on it...POISON! But Gaius would know if it was poison...unless...MAGIC!

Arthur jumped from his seat suddenly surprising everyone else in the room. As he glanced back at Merlin's limp and pale form Arthur was no longer lost and defeated, he was furious. He turned to glare at the other occupants in the room, his eyes livid.

'Magic!' He hissed.

Orguelleuse flinched slightly as she watched the prince's fury in her pool of water. This was not a good turn of events. She couldn't decide if she should abandon the plan all together now, or whether she should continue regardless. If only the stupid manservant hadn't jumped in front of the arrow - it had ruined everything! Arthur was supposed to get hit with the arrow, and it was Arthur who was supposed to receive a piece of her magic, not the servant boy. And that was another thing - why had the boy reacted so badly? She had set the spell up so that the person receiving the magic would not notice until the time was right, but the boy had passed out. It didn't make sense, the magic wasn't bad. Her plan had been to bury a piece of magic within Arthur, so that when the time was right she would activate it in front of Uther - and hopefully a whole lot of witnesses. Uther would be forced to either relax his magic ban (even if it was only slightly) or punish his own son, in which case he would have to suffer as he has caused so many to suffer. When the prince's manservant had taken the blow instead, Orguelleuse had been convinced her plan would still work. Having a boy who Arthur so obviously cared about reveal himself as a sorcerer would deeply affect the prince. Although this would not burden Uther in any way Orguelleuse knew that this would force Arthur to make his decision on his view of magic.

Now her plan was in ruins. With the boy probably dying Arthur would forever hold a grudge against magic - and nothing in Camelot would ever change. Furious with herself for only making Camelot's hatred of magic worse the sorceress punched her hand through the image in the water, watching as it immediately disintegrated. Now she had to decide what to do: She could continue with the plan, which would either kill the pathetically weak servant or force Arthur to hunt her down. No, not a good option. Orguelleuse knew she only had two options left, she could either forget the whole thing and pretend nothing happened, or discover why her magic was killing the boy and heal him, repairing the damage she has caused. While Orguelleuse wanted nothing more than to pick the first option, she was worried that Arthur would manage to find her and kill her for hurting his friend anyway. So that left only one option.

She had to help the boy.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry his has taken me aggess! And I'm afraid it is a very very short chapter **** Blame the Chemistry Exam!**

**Thank you for all the reviews, hopefully next chapter will be up soon**

**(I still don't own Merlin)**

Merlin moaned in his sleep; however none of the inhabitants of the room reacted. Gaius was fast asleep at the table, his head and shoulders slumped over the last book he had been reading in an attempt to help Merlin. Gwen had retired to look after Morgana a few hours earlier, although tears had continued to pour from her eyes as she left the physician's quarters. Arthur was slumped over in his chair, one of his hands holding on to one of Merlin's. Despite the uncomfortable positions that both Gaius and Arthur were in, neither had slept well in days. It was because of this that Orguelleuse was able to enter the room unnoticed. As she pushed the door open, she muttered a few words of the old religion under her breathe, and as her eyes changed colour both Arthur and Gaius sank into an even deeper sleep.

Now for the hard part, Orguelleuse thought. Disguising herself had been easy enough, she didn't have magic for nothing. Soon after her mind had been made up she had decided to head out towards for Camelot. The situation wasn't ideal, Camelot was a dangerous place for her, however there appeared to be no other way. Orguelleuse may have decided to help the boy, but she still had to discover what was actually wrong with him. The only to do that was to actually go and examine the servant herself. So after disguising her appearance and riding to Camelot Orguelleuse now stood in the court physician's rooms, staring at the boy who had caused her so much trouble. She wasn't sure how long she stood there like that. Her mind was nagging her to act – but where to begin? Sighing, Orguelleuse raised her hand towards Merlin, ready to do magic. A good place to start would be to completely remove the magic that had been placed in the boy to start with.

_STOP!_

Orguelleuse jumped in surprise as a voice roared the word out in her head. The voice itself was filled with power and anger, and the force of it almost caused her to fall over. As shocked as she was, Orguelleuse was not stupid. That voice was in her head, and oozed with power. It came from a creature of the old religion, and one that was apparently in the castle.

Turning away from Merlin, Orguelleuse stalked from the room, determined to follow the voice to its source.

This situation was getting stranger and stranger...


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for all the reviews **

Orguelleuse stepped over the sleeping guards and, picking up a lit torch on the way past, proceeded to walk down the stairs into the cave. She could feel the hum of ancient magic at the back of her mind growing louder as she got closer, however the voice that had spoken before had gone silent. Finally Orguelleuse stepped into the large cave at the bottom of the castle.

The Great Dragon sat waiting for her. His vey presence was saturated with the ancient magic, surrounding his gigantic form, filling his every movement with raw power. The sorceress suddenly felt small and powerless in front of the magnificent creature. As she looked up at the impressive dragon her mind was filled with questions: Hadn't the dragon race died out? Why was there one under Camelot? And why had he called out to her? However Orguelleuse had a chance to voice any of these questions, as the creature in front of her began to speak.

'Ah the witch has finally done something right...your actions have almost cost Albions future and My freedom! ' Orguelleuse flinched at the dragon's voice, which was filled with anger. 'I..I only meant..' she began, but was only cut off by the Dragon.

'Do not attempt to justify yourself, I know full well what you seek. Now you must listen closely to what I have to say and do not deviate from your task' Shocked into silence, Orguelleuse could only nod in reply. 'You have contaminated Emrys...your magic and his are now fighting for possession of his body...His will win, of course...but it may be too late. Do not attempt to remove your magic by force – the consequences of that can only end badly.'

'Emrys?...How...That's not..' Oguellese stumbled over her words. The servant was Emrys? How was that possible...he didn't look anything special...but that would explain his reaction to her magic...and why he had been so keen to die for the prince...It was so obvious now – why had she been so stupid?

The Dragon only watched as she attempted to sort out her own thoughts, and then chuckled humourlessly. Shaking his head slightly he took off suddenly, away from the entrance to the cave.

'Wait! What am I to do?' Orguellese asked, panicked by the sudden disappearance of the Dragon. However the only reply she got was in her head:' _You already know what to do now, you no longer require my guidance'_

Great, she thought. Things were getting worse and worse. She had managed to greatly damage the return of magic to the kingdom and almost kill Emrys. If she didn't find a way to save him soon she would have to deal with not only Arthur, but also the Great Dragon. This could not get any worse...

_Pain...so much pain...white, searing through his mind, pushing through all his senses, blackness covering his thoughts, surrounding him in every way, blocking off his air supply..give in...just give in...stay in the dark...release the pain...let it take you..too much..can't...cope...can't breath...why bother? Forget it all...leave...give up...Arthur! Need to fight...push away pain..focus...help Arthur...needs me...can't...pain!...no...no_,_no,no,no,no, '_NO!'

Merlin yelled out as he woke up from his restless sleep. His pain filled yell woke Arthur as well, and he fell off his chair suddenly, surprised by the loud shout. 'Merlin?' Picking himself of the floor Arthur turned to his friend. Merlin was not looking any better. He was covered in sweat and his face was creased with pain. Arthur could hear that his breathing was quick and shallow; it sounded like each breath was a struggle.

'Arth..ur...I can't...I don't ..know..if' Merlin forced out. He couldn't hold in all this pain anymore, it was spilling over and he had to tell Arthur...he couldn't hold on much longer. Arthur's hand reached up and reassuringly pushed Merlin's hair off his face. 'Merlin...don't talk like that. You'll make it through this...you're too stubborn to give up now' Arthur chocked on his last words, a few tears falling from his eyes as he tried to comfort his friend. Merlin squeezed his eyes shut, suppressing another shudder of pain 'I'm sorry...' His voice was barely a whisper. Arthur could no longer take it...he brought his forehead down to rest against Merlin, his hand reaching for Merlin's. Merlin felt Arthur take his hand, and he held on tightly, trying to convey to Arthur what he no longer could in words. As Arthur felt Merlin's weak grasp he let the tears fall freely, there was no point in holding them in any longer.

It was like this that Orguelleuse found them, with Arthur bent over his friend in floods of tears, as Merlin held on to his hand, desperately trying to stay awake.


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm sorry - I'm terrible at updating regularly! Ok, well here is the end, i hope you like it:)**

**I have another story on the way soon so please look out for it!**

'I wish to help'

Immediately Arthur jumped up from his seat, turning to face the door and adopting a defensive position – as if to protect Merlin from the intruder.

'Who are you.' It wasn't a question, it was a request. In fact Orguelleuse was impressed at the authority in Arthur's voice, considering the helplessness it had been filled with not only a moment ago. His eyes were emotional, filled with tears still to fall, and he kept one hand lightly on Merlin's head, as if unable or unwilling to break the contact between himself and his manservant. Orguelleuse took all this in; she had to be so careful, one wrong move could ruin the future of magic forever. Striding into the room so that the prince could see her more clearly, she repeated what she had said before: 'I wish to help' Arthur made as if to interrupt but she calmly held out a hand 'I wish to help. Arthur Pendragon I can see that you do not trust me, that is wise. However I am your last option if you wish to save your manservant. I know what is wrong with him, I can heal him' Orguelleuse kept it to herself that she did not know for certain, but in fact only had the beginnings of an idea. As she spoke she could see so many emotions conflicting in the prince: Hope, distrust, worry. But as she had said, she was his last chance of saving Merlin.

Arthur frowned at this strange woman in the room. It was clear that she was no to be trusted...however this was not a hard choice; he had to save his idiot manservant.

'How?' His voice broke slightly as he asked the question. But he already knew the answer.

'Sorcery.'

Arthur nodded slightly, his eyes cast down at the floor. This felt wrong...but he had already decided from the moment the sorceress had said she could save Merlin. Lifting his eyes to meet Orguelleuse's, he gave his answer.

'Do it'

Orguelleuse stared into the prince's eyes. This was the moment where everything could fail. This was the moment that if she was going to be dramatic she would say the future of Albion depended upon.

'My magic can't heal him. You, Arthur Pendragon will have to do it for me'

Arthur looked at her blankly, not quite understanding what she was suggesting. He didn't have magic - that was a ridiculous idea! And if he did know how to save Merlin he would have done it a long time ago and not be standing here like an idiot now, accepting help from a sorceress. Anger flared up in Arthur - This woman couldn't help, and if she really could, why would she? She was a sorceress, evil, probably had hatched an elaborate scheme to bring down his father an Camelot along with him. As the prince's raw emotion threatened to bubble up to the surface, Orguelleuse once again held up her hand to stop him, interrupting before he had even started.

'I know you do not have magic Arthur Pendragon. And I know you think that all sorcerers are evil and should be executed. But you're wrong - I truly wish to help, if only to show you that magic can indeed be used for good. Your father may be a good king, but he is blinded by hate. I hope that will not affect you when you are King.'

Arthur looked at her, shocked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was it possible? Could she be speaking the truth, or was this another elaborate deception. However Arthur didn't have much time to debate it in his head. Orguelleuse sighed in frustration: 'We do not have time for your moral issues. They can wait. Your servant is dying, if you want to save him it must be now'

Arthur looked back down at Merlin. He had slipped back into somewhere between unconsciousness and restless sleep while they had been talking; and he did not look good. His skin was so pale, his whole body drenched in sweat and his face contorted into an expression of constant agony. Arthur gently pushed Merlin's fringe off his face before turning back to the sorceress.

'Show me what to do.'

Smiling softly Orguelleuse reached towards Arthur and grabbed his wrist, before gently placing it on Merlin's heart. Then she placed her own hand on Arthur's heart. Closing her eyes, she felt for his essence –his very soul. Then taking a deep breath she pushed a spark of magic towards it. The reaction was immediate. With powerful force Orguelleuse was pushed away from the two boys.

Arthur felt it. He felt warmth, power, love, friendship, unity. He felt something – something too hard to define – rise up within in him, and flow through his hand straight into Merlin. He was with Merlin, and he knew that everything would somehow work out. It felt amazing. And he could tell from Merlin's gasp that he felt it too.

Merlin did feel it. He felt Arthur's presence as it reached in and wrapped around him, immersing him in love and friendship. He felt him wrap around him and pull him from the dark in a strong embrace. As he entered the light he gasped – air, he could breathe again. He was no longer lost – Arthur was with him, and he knew, he just knew, that everything was going to be all right.

Orguelleuse stood at the doorway watching the two boys. Their souls had united – even if just for a brief moment. She would like to think that this was the start of destiny, but in truth it had started long ago. Smiling at the sight before her, Orguelleuse turned away; finally ready to leave Camelot behind.

Maybe she had done some good after all.

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and put up with my horribly irregular updates! I can't believe i've finished my first every fanfiction - Hope you all liked it, please review one last time!**


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